The Spectrum of Urban Planning Urban planning is the process of planning the development of land and other resources to improve a community so as to benefit the lives of the people within these communities. Urban planning is a complex area of ​​study due to the many different factors involved and the people it affects. Planning can be controversial, political and cause anger towards officials if it is not done correctly. City planners must evaluate their decisions and base them on the good of the environment and people. To understand urban planning, you must first examine the history of planning in America. Planning has the characteristic of being centered on the conditions of the environment and the needs of society in the time periods in which it is implemented. In the early history of urban planning, planning occurred around the gathering of people into groups. The history of planning dates back to the beginning of time, and planning labeling has been a slow but steady process over many centuries. Planning can be seen in the times of the pharaohs and pyramids. Planning in ancient times served practical purposes in many cases. One such practical reason is access and visibility, as described by Michael E. Smith, author of, Form and Meaning in Early Cities: A New Approach to Ancient Urban Planning. In the article Michael explains: “A variant of coordination between buildings and spaces in ancient cities is the creation of restricted access areas. On the largest scale are the city walls. Some walls served a defensive purpose, some were primarily symbolic in nature, and many probably served both purposes” (Smith, 2007). The planning of the walls built around ancient cities shows that planning came...... middle of paper ...... from www.law.du.edu: http://www.law.du.edu /images/ uploads/rmlui/rmlui-sustainable-UrbanGrowthManagement.pdfSmith, M.E. (2007). Form and meaning in early cities: a new approach to ancient urban planning. History of American Planning, 45.Sutton, D.S. (2008). Urban revitalization in the United States: Policies and practices. Columbia University, www.unce.org. (2008, New York). Spatial planning. Retrieved from UNECE.ORG: http://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/hlm/documents/Publications/spatial_planning.e.pdfwww.bnd-law.com. (2014). Overview of Washington's Growth Management Act. Retrieved from www.bnd-law.com: http://www.bnd-law.com/downloads/GMA%20Overview%20for%20SPOKANE%20OPEN%20HOUSE.pdfwww.mfe.govt.nz. (2014). Ministry of the Environment. Retrieved from https://www.mfe.govt.nz/publications/rma/building-competitive-cities-technical-working-paper/page6.html